On a hot summers day the park is alive with green and a lovely dappled light pours through the weeping willows. It may not be the most well cared for of Hackney's parks, though not for the lack of trying but its a tucked away little park which offers at times, a tranquil escape from the busy main roads.
All our caches have titles linking them to children's stories. This is obviously referencing the book of the same title, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. We love stories and find they come alive in the places we visit.
The gardens are one of Hackney's more unusual green spaces, hidden away behind Bethune Road in Stoke Newington. The gardens have a natural character, with mature yew trees and areas of woodland edge interspersed with grass and play features.
Allens Gardens forms a strip of communal garden behind a development of 10 blocks of 3-storey flats on Bethune Road built in 1874 by Matthew Allen, from whom the site takes its name. He was in partnership with the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company. The garden was for the use of residents, with greenhouses and wash houses as well as recreational facilities. The gardens were later publicly accessible, a series of garden 'rooms'.
Opening times:7.30am - dusk (summer 9.30pm, winter 4pm). Market Garden: Mondays 10am-4pm
The cache itself is a small hide. No room for swaps and please bring your own pen. There is a possibility of needing tweezers too, but not a must. Please be careful with the container when you find it and don't tug it. Its a sneaky little hide, so look for something slightly out of place, yet its still very easy to miss.